New Citroen C5 Aircross Hybrid 145 review: an SUV that puts passengers first

Verdict

We’ve enjoyed driving the Citroen C5 Aircross as an EV and plug-in hybrid, but for many this mild-hybrid version will be the ideal choice. It delivers good fuel economy, adequate performance and much of the electric car’s refinement, especially when the electric motor is doing the propulsion. The Aircross has no sporty ambitions at all, and amen to that: this is a spacious, comfortable and good-value SUV that puts occupants – and their well-being and safety – at the top of the pile.  

Citroen’s positivity about occupant comfort is laudable but – like the England cricket team or Rachel Reeves’ Budget – eventually it’ll make contact with a brutal reality, in this case British roads. We’re driving the entry-level version of Citroen’s big SUV, the C5 Aircross, through the Chilterns countryside, where potholes seemingly outnumber villages by a factor of 100. 

This is the Hybrid 145, costing from £30,495 in You! spec. That’s five grand more than the cheapest Dacia Bigster 1.2 manual, although you get a slightly longer car, slightly less boot space and an automatic transmission mating charismatic three-cylinder petrol and 28bhp e-motor power with the front wheels.

The Advanced Comfort suspension, fitted with Citroen’s clever hydraulic bump stops to prevent harsh body rebounds, is standard. And it’s cushier than a nepo baby’s first job. The body surfs over crests and dips, typically landing you with the balletic care of lifters in a rugby lineout. In 90 minutes of driving, it crashed through just one crater, while the body only felt a touch floaty on a single 70mph stretch where undulations came thick and fast. Apart from tight hairpins, the suspension contains roll pretty well in corners too. 

Used - available now

2021 Citroen

C5 Aircross

19,084 milesManualPetrol1.2L

Cash £15,496

View C5 Aircross

2020 Citroen

C5 Aircross

18,636 milesManualPetrol1.2L

Cash £12,682

View C5 Aircross

2023 Citroen

C5 Aircross

16,869 milesAutomaticPetrol1.2L

Cash £16,140

View C5 Aircross

2021 Citroen

C5 Aircross

20,501 milesAutomaticPetrol1.2L

Cash £15,842

View C5 Aircross

First contact with the steering is less impressive: at urban speeds, it feels light and languid turning off dead-ahead. Response is more direct at higher speeds when heavier weighting kicks in. In short, it’s like your lip after a dental injection: functional but infuriatingly numb.

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You might think a 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine would struggle in a 4.6m-long SUV weighing 1,554kg. Thanks to the e-motor shovelling in extra torque and a dual-clutch transmission happy to wring out gears and change up snappily and smoothly, the mild-hybrid Aircross feels punchier than its 11.2-second 0-62mph sprint suggests. It’s no velociraptor but we comfortably overtake a handful of dawdling drivers and sail up to 70mph to join the M40, urged along by the petrol engine’s sweet burr. This is with only one person on board, mind you.

The C5 Aircross is at its best when you’re dawdling. Through the Oxfordshire village of Warborough, the engine cuts out for the e-motor to waft us along for the best part of a mile. The cockpit sounds blissfully silent aside from a little tyre murmur, with the 3D drivetrain graphic on the smart digital driver’s binnacle confirming when petrol power eventually kicks in again. Select other readouts, such as navigation, if you prefer.

Motorway refinement is pretty good too: the three-cylinder buzz is low down in the mix and there’s a touch of wind noise, but overall the Aircross projects classy refinement. And the rippled, two-tone cloth seats – even on the basic model – are as squishy as your favourite armchair. 

The brakes – not always a Citroen strong point – slow the car just fine, and despite our unsympathetic mix of emergency stops and hard accelerations, the C5’s trip computer claims 41.4mpg. That suggests the mild-hybrid You! trim’s 43mph official economy is achievable, aided by the car running on electric power up to half the time.

Standard kit includes 18-inch alloy wheels and red metallic paint, plus the 13-inch vertical touchscreen, air-con, keyless start, rear parking sensor and a tonne of safety kit (thank European regulators for that). 

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And the entry-level cabin is a pleasant place to be. Obviously there’s no glass roof (it’s a  £1,100 addition to top-spec Max trim) but the combination of light grey headliner and deep sideglass makes for an airy ambience. Upholstering the rolltop desk-style dash is a nice touch, though the dashboard emitted some resonant buzzes. Drown it out with the great standard stereo, though its high-set speakers – which stick out at 90 degrees to the dash – look very odd. 

Citroen has segmented the big touchscreen into chunky tiles to make it easy to use: tap the ever-present air-con section to control the climate, although there’s a bank of physical switches for defrost, max A/C and air recirculation. There are loads of drinks cubbies, charging sockets and a ramp to store your phone, which also charges it wirelessly. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard.

The rear seats aren’t the cheap seats: there’s a lot of space to stretch out, they recline a touch and the fancy floating armrests match those in the front. Although the back bench is split 40:20:40, this is a downgrade on the first Aircross’s three individual rear seats. Being able to fit three child seats abreast matters to the 10,000 UK families a month who grow from two to three kids: that’s one of the reasons why I ran a Mk1 Aircross. 

The boot is big: 651 litres if you remove the upper shelf, though retaining this makes for a welcome flat load bay. Flip the seats for 1,985 litres of stowage. It’s all very people-pleasing. Throw in the powertrain choice of mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric (with more than 400 miles of range from the big battery), and the new C5 Aircross will put a smile on buyers’ faces – unlike Rachel Reeves or the England cricket team.

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